The Conservation easement has become a popular tool for land protection in the past few decades. Whether this development restriction will necessarily decrease the land value is an empirical question. This study employs a hedonic pricing approach to test empirically the effects of conservation easements on land values. The econometric results indicate that conservation easements can slightly increase the land values, but the effect is statistically insignificance. Considering the limited dataset, the interpretation of the results warrant some caution. / Master of Science

This thesis is about openness in the architecture. After traveling and experiencing many different cities in Europe, I was intrigued with open spaces in cities, which offer a stage for different public interactions. I discovered that all these public spaces are formed by the surrounding architecture. This made me wonder about how architecture, as it becomes more independent today, could express and embody this openness within itself. I picked up my site at the end of the King Street in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, which is currently unappealing to the public. I decided to create a urban plaza for the waterfront in an architectural way by generating a pavilion, which will provide various kinds of information and satisfy needs to the visitors and public. The pavilion has several different services and lies in an area with flood issues. In response to these conditions, I made all the projects suspended between columns and assigned them different heights according to the context of the site and their own functions. The different levels of the projects generate vertical open spaces in order to let the surrounding environment flow seamlessly into the pavilion. The entire project has been organized under a glass structured roof with a central staircase that ascends from King Street to the Potomac River, which has all the accesses to each level. There is a designed channel in the middle bay, placed within the girder to direct rain back into the river. / Master of Architecture

The design of public open spaces frequently does not address the physical and psychological needs of their users with regard to their ages. This research gathered and restated the needs and preferences of teenagers, as an understudied group, in public open spaces, with an emphasis on neighborhood parks. Utilizing a neighborhood park in Roanoke, Virginia, the study developed findings that can influence the design of public open spaces, with the goals of providing social and physical benefits of neighborhood parks for teenagers. This research was conducted through two phases of interviews. The first phase of interviews took place with professionals who had experience in working with teenagers. The data collected in the first phase of interviews with adults were utilized for the second phase of interviews, which were with teenagers. Experimental models of the study site were created for the second phase to assist the interviewees in visualizing the various designs. In the second phase, the design options were presented to the teenaged study group in response to teenagers' characteristics and needs as determined by the outcomes of the first phase of interviews. The teenagers were asked to state their preferences among the design options. The different options for designing neighborhood parks utilized a neighborhood park in Roanoke, Virginia, as a study site. The findings of this research suggest that teenagers prefer to utilize spaces closer to the front of the park, by its edges, entrances, and exits, and the parking lot. These findings suggest that there may be no need to design specific spaces dedicated for teenagers in public spaces; however teenager's preferences should be considered in the design process of public spaces. Based on the findings of this research and the suggested relationships among the design attributes of neighborhood parks and teenagers' use of space, this research suggests that providing public spaces is linked with increased opportunities for the social development of teenagers. The primary implications of the findings of this research could help inform landscape architects and urban planners in their designs of future public open spaces that address the needs of teenagers. / Master of Landscape Architecture

The research that forms this thesis is a portfolio of seven published papers together with a critical review, set out below, which gives a general overview of all the work. The work covers a period from the 1990s until 2008, with publication dates spanning a decade. The research has developed from an early interest in exploring the nature of landscape experience, responses to past and contemporary landscape designs, and what benefits people might gain from engaging with such landscapes. It has also reflected a desire to raise standards of scholarship and research in landscape architecture. The portfolio of work addresses three broad themes, interconnected but requiring different approaches in terms of method: the distinctiveness of place and design responses to it; design of public open space for the 21st century; and understanding people’s engagement with the natural environment. The research addresses the following questions and is presented under these headings, each representing a different strand or focus of attention. a) History, prototypes and local distinctiveness: what is the role of historic design prototypes in contemporary landscape architecture and how can an understanding of them enhance sensitivity to local distinctiveness in new design? b) Urban open space: how can an understanding of the history of landscape design inform the way urban open space is designed, planned and managed in the 21st century and what new paradigms might there be? c) Experiencing the landscape: how do people perceive, use and respond to green landscapes in their local environment, and what factors influence engagement with and benefit from such natural environments? The outputs in this portfolio are shown to have influenced other researchers as well as policy makers and practitioners; they are reflected in citations of the work and in government agency initiatives to develop new approaches to accessing the landscape. Finally, a conceptual framework is offered for understanding and responding to people’s diverse experiences of landscape.

This study aims to describe and analyze changes over time in the degree of relative crowding in preschools within the urban area of a medium-sized city in the northern part of Sweden – and does so by examining the size of the available open space per child. Further, this work explores the spatial variation of open space dimensioning in relation to the urban center in order to decide whether shrinking of children’s open space should be considered to be limited to the major metropolitan areas of Sweden. With the basis in an assumption of increasing competition over land as a consequence of neoliberal governance and densification as strategies to promote urban growth, it’s hypothesized from recent literature that these ambitions increasingly risk confining children’s right to adequate areas of open space for outdoor play. Using a combination of quantitative approaches of analysis, with the use of regression analysis the study concluded that the coefficient of the independent variable Building age is positive, and therefore matches the expected direction. However, no statistically significant linear relationship was observed even with the use of relevant variables – highlighting a complex relationship surrounding the understanding and prediction of land use in general and urban open space in particular. A comparison of mean values using grouping based on both the aspect of time and centrality found that preschools built after 1998 generally contains 0,85 m2 larger open space per child than those built before 1987, whereas preschools within the urban center had 6,18 m2 larger open space per child than those located in more peripheral locations. When controlling for the share of preschools that undercuts and exceeds the recommendations related to dimensioning of open space communicated by the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, units within the city center was found to meet these recommendations to a greater extent. Preschools built after 1998 seem to be more prevalent among units that undercuts the said recommendations. The results call for further research within this field of study in order to determine whether or not children’s shrinking open space can be limited to be a phenomenon encompassing solely major metropolitan areas.

In response to the World Commission on Environment and Development’s Brundtland Report (1987) and other documents that have brought the need to address environmental, economic, and social issues to the forefront of the awareness of the public, the Sustainable SITES Initiative was modeled after LEED certification and was formed to establish a rating system and comprehensive framework of guidelines for development. It is a collaborative effort between the ASLA, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden. In June 2015, the Green Building Certification, Inc. of the United States Green Building Council acquired SITES and will oversee future certifications. SITES was formed to address the need for a coordinated response between all landscape design professionals, and to work in addition to and synergistically with LEED certification. This study investigates the new sustainability rating system while exploring the professional marketplace and the design processes of three landscape architecture firms. The purpose of this study is to answer the question, “How do the design processes differ between SITES certified and noncertified urban open space projects in the Puget Sound area?”. There are currently 47 landscape projects across the United States that have been certified by the SITES pilot program rating system. This is an exploratory study that examines the processes of three landscape architecture firms, with two projects within each firm: one sustainably certified through SITES, one is not certified, for a total of six case studies. By analyzing and documenting the presence and nature of patterns, similarities and differences, this study aims to strengthen the objective of SITES certification for the purpose of recognition and to validate existing sustainable landscape architectural practices. This study pinpoints the components of sustainable landscape architectural and highlights landscape architecture’s commitment to sustainable development. Landscape architecture has a rich history of incorporating sustainable practices into their work. With this new rating system, landscape projects can gain recognition for sustainable practice through marketing projects as SITES certified, as the LEED certification program exemplifies. This study can also inform future collaborations with LEED certifications. SITES currently works synergistically with LEED certification on several components, but increased collaboration will be mutually beneficial. The SITES certification process is very involved and time-consuming, and with valuable feedback from Landscape Architects, expedited certification can be possible.

The main aim of this field study is to review, analyse and interpret the research literature on open education. The study also attempts to define and illustrate the concept open education. In addition the study has aimed to produce a set of resource materials which illustrate open education, namely, what it is and how it is manifested in schools. From an initial empirical review and content analysis of the research literature, it is apparent that certain common themes emerge when defining the concept of open education. In an attempt to ascertain, clarify and derive meaningful conclusions, eight themes have been derived from the scan and content analysis of the literature. The work of appropriate authors has been discussed and analysed within this framework. The eight themes identified from the literature defining the concept of open education are:- (a) Aspects of implementation of 'openness' and open schooling; (b) Open space, open planning, the focus on spatiality and openness in architecture; (c) Philosophy of Open Education; (d) Goals of Open Education; (e) The Origins of Open Education in Australian Schools; (f) Assumptions and Beliefs of Open Education; (g) Characteristics and Criteria of Open Education; (h) Descriptions, Anecdotal definitions and interviews concerned with Open Education. These themes are discussed individually with reference to the relevant authors. From the analysis and discussion of the relevant research literature, it would appear that it is not only plausible but possible to define the concept of open education. The defining characteristics of open education are identified through: - the degree of openness of a school program; - the focus on spatiality and openness in architecture; - the philosophical goals, assumptions and beliefs intrinsic in the concept of open education; - the observable characteristics and criteria manifested by open education. The concept open education cannot adequately be defined in terms of a statement but in terms of observable sets of criteria which are present at varying times and in varying degrees ranging backward and forward along a continuum of degree of openness. Open education can therefore be defined by assessing the extent to which a specified set of criteria are present or absent. An aspect of the curriculum may then be ranked with respect to those defining characteristics of open education. Even though the content may vary, the specified set of criteria remain intrinsic and inherent in the concept.

Landscape change induced by population growth and urban development is impacting the ecosystem goods and services provided by open space, which is essential to supporting many urban and rural populations. Conserving open space cannot be attained without obtaining public support especially in a state like Texas where most open space is privately owned. This dissertation was aimed at exploring the role of place identity as an intrinsic incentive for landowner involvement in conserving open space threatened by landscape change. Four objectives addressed in this research include: 1) defining place identity and identifying its underlying dimensions; 2) developing and refining a place-identity scale; 3) developing and testing a conceptual framework to explain the relationships among commitment, place identity, behavior/behavioral intention to manifest place identity, and perception of landscape change; and 4) drawing implications for open space conservation. Identity theory and identity control theory were applied to conceptualize place identity and develope structural models for hypothesis testing. Place identity was defined as comprising meanings that individuals ascribe to a place through their interaction with that place and become defining elements of their self-identity. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research. Results from semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of landowners in the Texas Hill Country were used to develop the place-identity scale. Survey data from randomly selected Hill Country landowners were used in confirmatory factor analysis, mean and covariance structure analysis, and invariance testing based on the covariance structure to test and refine measures, to compare differences between landowner groups, and to test hypotheses. Findings suggested that identity theory and identity control theory provided valuable insight to place identity in the face of change. Results also supported a model of place identity comprised of cognitive and affective dimensions, and identified variations among individuals in their affective place-identity. Moreover, findings indicated that both dimensions exhibited different effects on identity-related behavior/behavioral intention under the influence of landscape change. Implications were provided for engaging landowners in open space conservation. This dissertation addresses several research gaps, and also raises questions important in understanding and applying place identity to promoting conservation.

This research aims at studying the relationship between the satisfaction on class cluster classroom reflected by teachers in elementary school and its management performance, the main purposes include: 1. To further investigation and study on the basic concept and related theories of class cluster classroom design with open space. 2. To understand the current status of class cluster classroom in Kao-ping area which adopts open space design and the class management performance run by teachers on the class cluster classroom which adopts open space design. 3. To study and analysis on the differences of the satisfaction and the class management performance of class cluster classroom, which adopts open space, reflected by teachers of different background variables. 4. To investigate the relationship and forecasting between the cluster classroom satisfaction and the class management performance reflected by teachers in the elementary school. 5. Suggestions will be proposed based on the study results so as to be used by teachers who practically operate and apply class cluster classroom of open space and by persons who are going to perform planning on school building of open space in the elementary school. ¡§Questionnaire survey¡¨ will be the main method used in this study, the sampled targets will be from all the teachers, who adopt open space in designing class cluster classroom, in the schools of Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung County and Pingtung County; the number questionnaires are about 356 copies and a total of 310 effective questionnaires are recycled. The research tool in this study is self-developed ¡§A questionnaire on the relationship between class cluster classroom with open space design and the class management performance¡¨, statistical methods used include: descriptive statistical analysis, independent sample t test, single factor ANOVA (analysis on variance), Pearson product-moment correlation, stepwise multiple regression analysis, etc. The following conclusions are derived based on the results of this study: 1. Teachers have above-average evaluation on class cluster classroom with open space design. 2. Class cluster teachers in elementary schools have higher class management performance. 3. For teachers in Kaohisung city, teachers with part-time administrative duties, teachers in L shape class cluster module or teachers with 2 years (included) or below of teaching experiences in this school show higher satisfaction on the class cluster classroom adopting open space design. 4. For teachers in schools of Kaohsiung city, in schools of L shape and ¡§Arc¡¨ shape class cluster modules,all show better class management performance. 5. Class cluster classrooms adopting open space design is helpful in improving class management performance. 6. Among all background variables such as teacher¡¦s background, class cluster classroom adopting open space design, etc., ¡§city of school served¡¨ and ¡§accessory equipment and space¡¨ have the highest forecasting power on the class management performance of teachers. The researcher of this study would like to propose the following suggestions based on the findings and conclusions of this study: 1. To improve school space to drive the core engine of educational reform. 2. To need government¡¦s policy support to activate space function of campus. 3. To let the users to participate so as to inspire the idea of like-to-teach and like-to-learn. 4. To build appropriate space to inspire innovative momentum of teachers. 5. To take good use of space resource to realize class management synergy. 6. To continue research and evaluation and continue the dialogue between people and space. 7. Future research study: to include suggestions on research aims, tools and methods.

Abstract Today everyone have a lot of meetings. The meetings¡¦ efficiency is quite low and group decision-making quality is bad. In foreign, many methods have good effects on it. Open space technology is one of them. But it has some conditions and assumptions which don¡¦t fit our culture and the conditions of our companies. We have to improve Open space technology to draw its effects. We improve it according to our assumptions and principles. We also assist it with some technologies, like Talking stick, circling, and catalytic mechanism. They all have outstanding and stable results. They can help Open space technology to overcome the deficit of ideal conditions. This research¡¦s main point is to introduce and collect the creative ways of the improved Open space technology. In two hospitals, we can see the improved Open space technology which has obvious effects and promote the group decision-making quality a lot. It still can get good results under the deficit of ideal conditions. We conclude that it has 9 traits as followed: 1. It lowers the barrier of inertia. 2. Interactions 3. Positive feedback 4. Participation 5. The form of activity 6. Safety 7. Closer contact with others 8. Appreciative attitude 9. Truly contribution This research is a initial research and introduction of the improved Open space technology. We suggest other researchers can popularize the improved Open space technology and get the more generalization results.